


Ivy's Birthday

by Rithebard



Series: She did make defect, perfection. [5]
Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Birthday Party, Children, F/M, Gen, Getting Older, Terrible Twos, possible war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 09:47:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13568007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rithebard/pseuds/Rithebard
Summary: It's Ivy's Second Birthday and the family gathers to celebrate.





	Ivy's Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I was not going to continue but I kept seeing a birthday party for Ivy so I made it a bit later so Hugh and Dot's baby would have arrived. By the time Ivy is two the makings of WW2 has begun to show its ugly head and as happy as Jack is right now with his beautiful family, he can't help but see it.

Jane brushed her wiggling little sister’s hair. It was now flowing with curls down on her shoulders. 

“Sweetheart, stay still. Don’t you want to look pretty for your birthday party?”

“Berrrrday presents!” Ivy cried clapping her hands.

“Ivy you have a one tract mind.” Jane chuckled as she pulled her hair into a lovely violet headband. And then tenderly brushed the curls so it would be a halo around her pretty face. “There. You look lovely…”

“That is true of both my girls," Jack said with a smile, he was leaning against the door still in his suit from the night before.

“Dad! Did you just get home?” Asked Jane as she held her wiggling sister who was trying to throw herself into her father’s arms.

“Whoa, stop that Ivy,” said Jack as he came and pulled his youngest to him. “Do you want to land on your face on your birthday, just when your sister created such a pretty look for you?”

“Daddy, presents!” Jack laughed and shook his head, “Darling, you know you have to wait till your party.”

Ivy shook her head again and started to kiss his cheek, tiny little pecks that made Jack just melt, “No, Daddy, now please…”

“At least she added the please, Darling.” Said Phryne smiling in the doorway.

“Greedy but polite?” replied her tired husband.

Phryne entered the room, she leaned in and kissed him, then Ivy and then she walked over and kissed Jane sitting next to her on Ivy’s bed. “At least we taught her to be polite. Jack, you look exhausted, why don’t you take a nap before the party?”

“But…”

“You have been up for 24 hours do you think you can handle a party of two years in your condition? It is not called the terrible twos for nothing.”

Jane was nodding and took her sister back onto her lap, “That is a good idea Dad. You know that you will want to play with them and you won't be able to, if you can’t even stand up.”

Jack pursed his lips, he was not a fan of being managed. Just then he watched his daughter give the biggest fuss about not getting her presents now. Phryne scooped her up and whirled her around till Ivy was laughing joyfully. “That’s better. Now kiss Daddy, he is going to take a nap.”

“Nap time.” Said Ivy in a musical little voice as she leaned in to kiss Jack on the nose. 

Jack sighed and kissed his daughter. Then he gave his wife and oldest daughter a look about being managed. He yawned and shrugged leaving the room.

“Poor Dad, surrounded by women.”

“Well there is Mr. B. on his side, but yes, I'd say it is a bit overwhelming. And he has been working double shifts for weeks poor man.”

“Why Mum, you already caught the killer.” 

Phryne nodded, “It ends for me with the killer being arrested, but it is only the beginning for your poor Dad. And he has the whole station to run. And the Commissioner has offered him something that your father absolutely does not want, and he has been avoiding it.”

“What’s that?”

“Deputy commissioner.”

“Why doesn’t he…ooooh, that means he can’t be in the field as much?”

“Yes, that as well as the politics which he despises. He hasn’t had much sleep, poor dear.”

“So, he needs a nap?”

“What he needs is a vacation.”

“Oh, that will be fun…”

“It would if I could just convince him of that.”

“Frolicking with us on the beach, he would love it! Besides, you can convince him to do anything.”

Phryne smiled, “almost, he is a stubborn man. Ok, Ivy lets get you dressed and ready for your party.

"Yeeeeaaaahhhh presents!!!!"

 

***

Jack was deeply asleep dreaming of lying on a beach cuddled with Phryne, the girls playing in the surf. He smiled and sighed. Then he blinked open his eyes and saw he was in their bedroom and his beautiful wife was sitting at the dressing table in her slip putting on her makeup. 

“I love you in makeup, but I think I love you best without it…or anything really.”

Phryne smiled, a Cheshire cat smile and turned saying; “that is sweet Darling, but what about the other parents and the children, it might shock them a bit.”

Jack laughed and nodded. He yawned, then stretched and said, “I hate to admit it, but you were right, I needed that nap.”

“When are you ever going to learn, that I am always right.”

“Oh, I know that, I am just stubborn, I hate to be managed.”

“Jack Robinson, you looked like you were going to curl up on the floor and go to sleep. You needed a nap.”

Jack nodded, he reached out and tenderly caressed her arm, “I know. Has Ivy calmed down about her presents?”

Phryne smirked, “Oh yes, I found a perfect solution.”

Jack closed his eyes, “You gave it to her… without me?”

“No, I gave her milk and biscuits. Like father, like daughter.”

Jack laughed, “yes, she does love biscuits. Well I guess I should get up. I still have to put the fringe on Ivy’s gift.”

“Its done, I did it.”

“You did?”

“Of course, I am capable.”

“Oh, I know that, I am just surprised you would do it.”

“I love decorating, I love our daughter and I love making her happy. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Put like that, I can’t argue. So, I have time to take a relaxing bath?”

“Yes Darling…” Jack pulled his wife onto his lap and kissed her passionately, then pulled back, “would you care to join me?”

***

Ivy was riding around the parlor on her bright pink tricycle with white fringe coming from white grips on the handle bars. Jack smiled as he watched his daughter zipping along.

“As I said, like father, like daughter, do you think she will be a champion too?”

Jack slipped his arm around her waist as they watched their daughter stop and chat with her Great Aunt Prudence, pointing out all the beauties of her new treasure, chattering away. And Aunt P was with good humor, smiling and nodding. “I think she shows signs that she is a lot like both us, so with our combined determination and talent, I think she will be an Olympian.”

“You should have been one, Sweetheart, if it wasn’t for the damn war you might have been…”

“Life is like that, let us hope it much more peaceful for our children.”

“You have been reading the newspapers about Europe, haven’t you?”

Jack looked down and nodded, “Yes, I hate it. The Monsters are crawling out from the woodwork, I just want our family to be safe.” Looking at Hugh and Dot and their baby girl, Daphne, he just felt sad, Hugh was of age, if war is declared again, he would be going off to war and be changed forever.

Phryne knowing exactly what he was thinking, “Let’s hope they stop those two monsters before another world war is declared.”

Jack pulled her even closer and nodded, “I hope so.”

***

Jack was leaning against the mantle it was after Ivy's birthday luncheon. As well his unconventional family, his parents, sister, brother in law, niece and nephews were all here. Presents had been presented to his delighted daughter and the children were all playing, as well as happy adult conversation all around him.

Celly watched her brother and tilted her head. She went beside him as he watched her daughter and Ivy try to climb onto the couch which was a bit too high for both of them. Her daughter Celene, had it a bit easier, she was not clutching her new story book to her as a precious prize like her cousin Ivy was. 

“Still feeling too old to be a Dad?”

“Sometimes, Ivy can run rings around me.”

“And now she is in her terrible twos?”

“The only issue with that is that it is so loud. I actually love it, it means she is exploring the world, curious, thinking and trying new things. It’s everything I want for her and its all beginning.”

“But?”

“Hitler and Mussolini.”

“Are they invading Melbourne?”

Jack turned to his sister, his expression very serious. “I know war first hand, I don’t want our children touched by it. Jane is of age to volunteer like Phryne did, I am terrified.”

“As well as the fact that Hugh can be called up and they have a baby?”

Jack nodded.

“You sweet idiot, there is nothing you can do. All you can do is love them and hope that the monsters are stopped.”

“I know, that is hardest part of all…excuse me I have to rescue my Daughter.” Jack ran over to the couch and saved his daughter just as she slipped off, head first right into Jack’s waiting hands. “Daddy!”

Jack pulled his baby close and kissed her head, she was smiling and happy, “Sweetheart, it would be easier if you climb up without your new story book. And the couch is too high for you and Celly, why don’t you try the chaise, it's easier.”

“I can do that Daddy, I want to try this.”

Jack shook his head, “You are just like your Mummy, always doing things the hard way.” He gently placed her on the couch. Then scooped up his niece and placed her beside his daughter. Then he picked up the story book and gave it to Ivy, “Here you go, Darling. Enjoy.”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“Thank you, Uncle Jack.” 

***  
Ivy was in bed, finally drifting asleep after he read her three of her favorite stories including her new one. 

The rest of the family had decided to go to a movie except Aunt P who asked Bert to take her home. Jane had gone over to her new boyfriend’s house to study, he was Jack approved after 6 months of observation and interviews. 

Jack and Phryne were cuddled on the couch in front of the fire and he was stroking her hair as she was caressing his neck. 

“When I had my nap, I dreamed we were on holiday together at the seashore.”

“Excellent idea, I think your subconscious is right.”

Jack chuckled, “and the fact that you have been putting brochures everywhere didn't have a thing to do with it?”

“Maybe a little, but you need a vacation. You haven’t had one in a long time, since before Ivy. Besides think what fun she would have with all that sand and getting dirty.”

“True, and we could teach her a lot of things by the sea…though we are right by the sea and she does go to the foreshore with her sister all the time.”

“Not the same as going with her Daddy…so yes, we can go to Queenscliff?”

Jack nodded, Phryne squealed and kiss him. “Wonderful, because I already made the reservation and arranged for your time off with the commissioner.”

Jack pulled back and stared at her, “Phryne!”

“What, he thought it was an excellent idea. He does not want his best man to get sick.”

“Hardly his best man…oldest man…”

“Jack Robinson, you are the best man and you know it!”

“and the oldest…”

Phryne lowered her hand and she turned his face toward her as she looked deeply into his blue eyes and said, “You are not old. Schwimmer at City Central is 62. You're only 41…”

“Almost 42…”

“Jack…”

“Phryne…”

They were in a dead heat for several minutes and then they chuckled. 

“I do need a vacation.”

“So do I.”

“So, when did you arrange for us to go?”

“Next week.”

“What!”

“Jack, don’t start that again, you know I am always right.”

Jack shook his head, there were times that the only thing he could do was to kiss her. So he did.


End file.
